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Ask The Deadguy

12-22-2013, 02:12 PM

Hi, folks. Rich Dansky, Wraith 20th developer here. I just wanted to pop in and say hello, and let you know that I'll be on the forums going forward for questions, updates, and all sorts of other goodness. So by all means, say hello, ask questions, tell me what you want to see in Wraith going forward, and generally keep the conversation going. In return, I promise to answer questions (eventually - the day job is kind of time consuming), listen, post updates, and share fearsome anecdotes of old-school Wraith development.

On my campaing im using Wolfman Jack as a Wraith DJ who contacts the players through a Ghost Frecuence and gives them hints through music tracks. How pausible is this in the cannon of wraith (im recently starting to read the books)

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BTW:, thank you Rich for being an active developer for the game. I really think that the games show a greater depth and connection with the players and fans when the developers interact with those who've invested their own time, money, and lives into the game from the player-side as well.
Even if I know nothing about W:tO (other than Sam Haight was soul-forged into an ash tray), I know that others really enjoy this game as much as I love W:tA, and I'm glad to see that they are getting great treatment.

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Hi Rich! I'd like to direct your attention to the Forum thread titled Is The Wraith Setting Too Punishing? For your take or simply feedback from players. (Can't make a link, I'm posting from my phone) also, if this is really you Rich, wouldn't you have Mod status?

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Crowley:
1-Depends on the individual wraith :-)
2-Nope. Most humans don't have enough unfinished business worth sticking around for.
3-I heartily approve of the use of Wolfman Jack under any and all circumstances.

Darling_Rose:
It really is me. Honest. I suppose I'll worry about mod status at some point, but I'm more interested in just talking to folks. As for the thread, I've been lurking in it for a while, and I confess, I'm disappointed the original ranter spelled my name wrong. And in debating the point, I think it's important to remember 3 things: 1-Not every bad thing that can happen to a wraith is always happening to every wraith all the time 2-Wraiths are people, which means that they act according to individual motivations, not Big Rules Handed Down From Above and 3-Missing middle interpretations tend skip a lot of the good stuff. I think Wraith can be very punishing if all you focus on is the punishing aspects; I also think there's an awful lot of room for moments of human kindness and hope in there that are just as important to the setting. I would hope so, at least - it's why I put them in there in 2nd Edition.

Big Brother, Torakhan:
Thanks for the kind words. I'm very much looking forward to the challenge of the book, and to hopefully making something that folks can enjoy!

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Thanks Rich. (AND IAN!) I'm convinced. Just asking cuz no one can argue with Mod status that they belong to or are at least approved by OPP. It also means we can ignore anyone turning up with a name like MRein•Hagen telling us "Rocks fall everyone dies!" :3

Thanks for your input. I do agree that Wraith can have elements of hope. I just find it very hard to make use of them in game unless the ST just ignores making use of the 101 ways to die (AGAIN) that are the prevalent to the setting of Wraith. And that the other players are playing nice people with strong enough will to ignore their Shadows telling them to screw you over. That being said, in my history and cultural research I've found the Wraith setting to have more in common with the real worldwide multi-cultural depiction's of Hell than as a neutral Purgatory. The Shadowlands seems to be an ambiguous inoffensive PC term without coming right out and using the word 'Hell'. Was this intentional or were you actually going for a purgatory setting that has been turned into a hell, but is not supposed to be the actual place?

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I'm very excited for Wraith 20th and glad to see that you're reaching out to the community during its development. I only got to play 2nd Ed Wraith briefly; a handful of sessions before the game fell apart due to scheduling conflicts. I never got a hold of the core rulebook. While I'm familiar with the basics of the game and enjoyed it, I don't have in-depth knowledge. There are a few big things I'd enjoy seeing from Wraith 20th:

One, enough setting, background and basic material that a new player can learn the game and play fully from the main book. I'm rusty, and I hope to introduce Wraith to many friends who have never seen it before. V20 was a very crunch-heavy book. While I have no complaints about getting comprehensive rules, I feel it's especially important for Wraith20 to be detailed and illustrative about the setting and mood of the game.

Two, Revised/V20-era system update.

Finally, Shadowguiding. This was an aspect of Wraith that I thoroughly enjoyed and I really would like it to remain a part of the game. However, I've heard from a large number of people that they found it off-putting or difficult to include in their play. Maybe an alternative approach could be provided in a sidebar or something, for the players who are uncomfortable with the normal shadow guide rules.

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Rose:
I always thought of it more as being in line with the classical Greek afterlife than a "hell". Find the happy medium between "Our Town" and Hesiod's Theogony and you've got it :-)
And I think you've nailed one of the main issues of Shadowguiding, which was getting people to get a sense of it as a way to enhance play, not grease the skids for other players. After all, the Shadow is self-destructive; it's not necessarily overtly suicidal, and it's got things it wants and fears, too. Pulling the conception of Shadowguiding back from the precipice of MUST DESTROY CHARACTER IMMEDIATELY to a more interesting place with broader gameplay options is something I definitely want to do.

Demon Cat:
Have you been listening in on the phone calls I've been having with Rich Thomas? Just curious :-)

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I would love to pick your brain at length Rich. I've been studying archaeology and myths of ancient cultures as a hobby for years now and there's just so much that could be discussed and compared between the theoretical origins of greek mythos in history and the fantastical setting of Wraith in the WoD. We might need a new Wraith sub-foum if we were to explore that discussion. *Bats eyes*